‘of the Oriental Tables. ~ 89 
poisonous plant, called aconite or wolf’s-bane, described beth by 
Theophrastus and Pliny, as growing amongst bare rocks, or rugged 
cliffs destitute of sand or soil. ‘This species of aconite is called 
Beikh or Beis by the inhabitants of Bischur and Gurwhal, and the 
supposed poisoned wind obtains the same appellation. Dr. Govan, 
as well as all those whg accompanied him, was repeatedly exposed 
to its influence, both by day and night, when ascending the Himma- 
leh, and is inclined to attribute this belief of its producing the ef- 
fects above described, to the circumstance of this plant always cc- 
curring at very high elevations, where travellers actually experience 
these painful sensations. This poisonous plant, in fact, occupies. 
the highest situation in the forest belt investing the sides of the 
Himmaleh, it not having been met with, much below 12000 feet of 
elevation. Dr. Govan, indeed, once experienced a degree of sick- 
ness and giddiness, with difficult respiration, in crossing Manu- 
Ku-Kanda, between the Touse and Jumnotree, in October 1818 ; 
but this was during the exertion of ascending, not while in a state of . 
rest, and several of the servants would willingly have remained be- 
hind, to sleep for a short time on the snow. But here the poisonous 
plant was not to be found for many miles ; and as the situation did 
not exceed 12000 feet of elevation, Dr. Govan was inclined to refer 
the sensations experienced, to the exertion of walking more than 
ancle deep in snow for more than six hours, during which the feet 
were benumbed, and the head exposed to the very powerful action 
of the solar rays. 
Mr. Fraser expressly denies that the painful sensations which 
he and his party felt in ascending the lateral ridge between the 
_Jumna and Ganges, were at all owing to the scent of flowers. For 
though a profusion of them occurred in his first day’s march, yet 
the principal part of them had no smell, and nothing was felt in 
the air except a cold and somewhat raw wind. His chief distress 
was felt after reaching the lofty pass of Bamsooroo, beyond the re- 
gion of all vegetation whatever, and which could not consequently 
be affected by the perfume of flowers. What proved beyond all 
doubt, that this great elevation was the cause of all their distress, 
was, that as they descended, and approached the region of vegeta- 
tion and wood, all these violent symptoms, as severe head-aches, 
pain and oppression in the chest, sickness, and vomiting, with som- 
nolency, gradually lessened and vanished. It seems therefore clear, 
that the natives are quite mistaken in attributing these effects to 
the scent of flowers, or to poisoned atmosphere, and that there can 
be as little doubt that the appellation of Gebal-al-Sumoun, or 
Mountain of Poison, bestowed by the oriental geographers on the 
mountains of Tebbot, (Little Tibet,) originated in a similar way, 
namely, the belief that the atmosphere of that mountain was poi- 
soned by the scent of flowers. 
Respecting Sherefeddin’s life of Timoor Bek, which Rennel says 
throws so much light on oriental geography, we can only say that 
De Lisle’s maps appended to it are grossly erroneous, and that 
VOL. I. M 


